


A Moment Worth Fighting For

by a1_kitkat



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Episode Related, Episode Tag, Flashbacks, High School, Jesse Manes is an Ass, M/M, Malex, Not Beta Read, S01E06
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-07 00:30:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17950148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a1_kitkat/pseuds/a1_kitkat
Summary: After dealing with Isobel, Rosa and the girls, Michael doesn't know where to go so he decides to return to the tool shed





	A Moment Worth Fighting For

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't intend for this to be my 100th fic on AO3 (I have another longer one I was hoping to make hashtag one hundred) but this episode broke me in a million pieces... 
> 
> I've watched it seven times already and it leaves me feeling physically sick every time. Michael and Alex deserve a happily ever after... But this isn't it. Sorry!

It was difficult to see the flames amid the smoke and his tears; there wasn’t a single part of him that didn’t ache from what he’d been through these past few hours. Seeing Isobel with her hand over Rosa’s mouth; using his abilities to make the bodies of three dead girls float into a car; the throbbing pain of his damaged and broken hand.

He turned to look at Max then at Isobel but both of them were still staring at the burning car. They all knew they couldn’t stay here, couldn’t risk being seen or caught at the scene of the crime.

 

Max put his arm around Isobel; cast a cautious look in Michael’s direction, before slowly leading her away towards his jeep. Michael followed quietly behind them with tears still running silently down his cheeks. They reached their respective cars, Isobel climbed in first then Max indicated he wanted a word with Michael.

They stepped over to his truck and Max reached for Michael’s bloodied hand. Michael was quick to pull away, cupped it to his chest.

 

“I can heal it” Max insisted.

“No, you can’t” Michael snapped.

“Please, Michael, let me heal you”

“Max, no… You can’t… It’ll look too suspicious if you do”

“So it wasn’t an accident then?”

“I don’t want to talk about it”

“Michael-”

“I took your advice, okay? A moment that was worth fighting for and then the moment was over”

“Michael-”

“It was worth it, okay? Now let’s just drop it… You should get Isobel home”

“Have you got a place to go tonight?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine”

 

Michael opened the door and climbed into the truck, slammed the door closed. His heart was still hammering in his chest; a part of him wanted to tell Max the truth, wanted someone else to know what had happened but the pain was still to raw and the horror was too real. He started the engine and slowly drove away, back into town.

His eyes continued to well up and he forced himself to blink back the tears. His hands were shaking on the steering wheel and the blood was staining the makeshift bandage. He really should get someone to look at it but he didn’t know who to talk to, they’d ask questions… questions he wouldn’t be able to answer. Questions he’d want to answer.

 

He continued through town and parked at the usual spot before making his way through the shortcut to the tool shed. Where mere hours ago, he’d had one of the most amazing experiences of his life followed by one of the worst. They look on Alex’s face when they’d so innocently started to undress each other would be forever imprinted in his mind but so would the other look, the look of utter fear when his father had opened the door and picked up the hammer.

Michael felt his breath catch in his throat as he remembered watching Master Sergeant Manes wrap his hands around his son’s throat. He felt sick to his stomach, wishing he’d done more to stop him… Remembering how Alex had purposely put himself between his father and Michael. He didn’t want to think what Master Sergeant Manes would have done with that hammer, had he not taken it out on Michael’s hand… He also shuddered to think that he had done once Michael had left.

 

Standing outside the tool shed now sent wave after wave of unease over Michael. He knew he shouldn’t be here right now but he hadn’t wanted to leave earlier and now, after what had happened in the desert, he just wanted to be in the one place that he’d experienced true happiness.

 

His feet didn’t make a sound as he approached the dark shed but when he reached up to open the door, it wouldn’t budge. For the first time ever, the tool shed was locked. But Michael wasn’t going to let that stop him. He placed his hand over the lock then heard the familiar click of it opening. He pushed on the door and it opened. The shed was pitch black; he knew there was a camp light in there near the bed but wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to turn it on.

 

Something moved and Michael froze. Something was in there with him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he took a step back, towards the door, ready to make a run for it.

 

“Please? No!”

The voice was low, soft, filled with pain and Michael could feel the tears welling up in his eyes again.

 

“Alex?” he whispered “is that you?”

“Guerin?” Alex whispered back. “What are you doing here?”

 

Michael sank to his knees and practically crawled across the floor until he found Alex. He couldn’t see him in the dark but could sense where he was, could feel the fear emitting from him and he just wanted to reach out, to comfort him.

 

“I’m sorry” he whispered “I’m sorry I left, I’m sorry you got hurt, I’m sorry for… putting you in harm’s way like that”

“Guerin” Alex replied “you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who’s sorry”

Alex was sobbing now and the sound tore at Michael’s already broken heart. At least his heart matched his hand.

“Alex, please” he began as he finally reached his side “don’t you dare apologize for what he did”

“But-”

“I chose to go at him; so that he wouldn’t hurt you. He wasn’t going to let me off so easy”

“I-”

 

Even through the darkness, Michael was able to reach out with his uninjured hand and place his finger to Alex’s lips in a bid to quiet him. The second they touched, Alex immediately stopped speaking.

“Don’t, Alex” Michael whispered “don’t say another word about him” he paused “but… did he… did he hurt you after I left?”

“No worse than usual” Alex admitted. “There was a lot of threatening and… he didn’t use the hammer though”

“Good”

“Good?”

“Well, my heroism wouldn’t have the same effect if he’d done the same to you”

 

Michael heard the soft laugh from Alex and his heart skipped a beat. After everything he’d been through, Alex could still laugh, still smile, still be Alex. He couldn’t stand it any longer, Michael got up and searched for the lamp when he turned it on, he put it on the lowest setting possible then placed it on the floor under the bed so it only gave off the smallest amount of light, if anyone should happen by, it hopefully wouldn’t attract attention.

Now he could see Alex with his own eyes and could assess the damage. His shirt was torn and his eyeliner had run, probably from his tears, and his eye had a cut underneath it. Aside from that, Alex appeared to be okay.

 

“Are you okay?” Michael asked as he looked into his eyes.

He was sure he was looking at him the same way he’d looked at him at prom and at the museum. When Alex looked back at him, there was still such hope and optimism in his deep eyes. Michael wanted, so badly, to kiss him again.

“My dad hit you with a hammer” Alex said very slowly, fresh tears formed in his eyes “all because we-”

“We took a chance on each other and I don’t regret it” Michael insisted “not for a second. I wouldn’t change a minute of it because it was… I didn’t know sex could be so… sex with a guy could be so…”

“Guerin-”

“I never should have pulled away… The other night when you gave me the guitar and I panicked. I didn’t know I could have feelings like that for… for guys and… you’re not just any guy, Alex, you’re… you’re so unique. Your dad is an ass to you and you just… continue to be you… the eyeliner, the nail polish, it was one of the first things I noticed about you… that you weren’t afraid to be different… Being different, standing out in a crowd, it’s scary as hell”

“And cowards like Kyle are so quick to bully those who are different”

 

Michael reached out with his good hand and took Alex’s hand in his, entwined their fingers.

“And you stood up to him” Michael continued “at prom, you fought back and threw in a few punches there. You’re not one to be messed with, Alex Manes”

“Unless it’s my dad” Alex looked away, down at Michael’s other hand. “He’s an entirely different story”

 

“When I got here, the door was locked” Michael said “did you…?”

Alex shook his head. “He did that… Wanted me to spend some time thinking about what I’ve done to bring shame on the family”

“Getting laid is shameful?” Michael asked him.

 

Alex shrugged his shoulders then reached for Michael’s other hand, his injured bloodied hand. Michael hesitated but he trusted Alex so he relented. He didn’t say a word as Alex slowly unwound the dirty bandage from his hand. The blood had dried up but his hand was in pretty bad shape. Michael watched as Alex got to his feet and opened a cupboard inside was a small first aid kit.

He found some bacterial wipes and gently started to wipe away the blood. Michael flinched as it stung but Alex was so gentle and careful that he found himself relaxing for the first time since being in bed with him. While Alex cleaned his wound, Michael gazed at his face, remembering the way Alex had smiled at him, laughed with him. The giddy excitement they’d both felt as they fell onto the bed, grasping each other close and wanting to feel their bodies pressed against each other. He’d never seen the other boy look so… happy and relaxed, so comfortable and sure of himself. Alex had taken control of their love and Michael had let him.

 

The blood had all been cleaned away, leaving just the mangled markings on his hand. Michael opened his mouth to say thank you but the words choked in his throat when Alex leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to his damaged palm. Michael gasped which caused Alex to pull away, look at him with just a hint of uncertainty.

 

“Did I hurt you?” Alex asked him.

“No” Michael whispered. “I’m sorry; I just wasn’t expecting you to do that”

 

The moment was gone so Alex picked up a clean bandage and carefully wrapped it around Michael’s hand. When he was done, they sat together on the floor, Alex still holding the bandaged hand in his, neither of them willing to let go just yet.

 

“If my dad catches us again-” Alex started to say.

“He’ll do more than break my hand” Michael agreed “but that’s a risk I’m willing to take”

“I don’t know if I am” Alex let Michael’s hand slip from him.

“Alex-”

“Guerin, you’re the first guy I’ve ever… I’ve known for a while now that I was gay but you’re the first person I’ve given into those feelings for and I’ll never forget what happened here today, you and me, it was everything I’d hoped it would be and more but… I can’t stand by and watch you get hurt like that again”

“We can be more careful”

“We _were_ careful”

 

Michael could feel the tears forming in his eyes again. The pain he’d been trying to ignore was back and Alex’s words were hurting more than they should. He reached up with his non-bandaged hand and placed it upon Alex’s cheek, his thumb gently caressed the skin.

 

“You probably won’t believe me when I say that what happened with your dad wasn’t the worse part of my day” Michael began “and I can’t be alone right now… I don’t want to be alone right now; I just want to be with you… where we can pretend everything is okay and that we’re the only two people in the world. I just want to look at you, touch you, kiss you” he paused “we don’t even have to do that… I just want us to be… please?”

 

Alex didn’t say a word. He simply reached for Michael, cupped his face with his hands and pulled him into a deep kiss. His fingers caught in the curls at the base of his neck, tugging at them as he deepened the kiss. Michael reached under the bed, his hand not quite able to reach but his powers could, and he turned off the low lamp, plunging them both into darkness.

All they did was kiss, draw comfort from each other. When Michael eventually broke down in tears, the shock and events of the day and evening finally catching up to him, Alex simply held him until he stopped shaking.

 

In the early hours of the morning, they said their goodbyes to each other. They started out verbally until the tears won out then they exchanged tender, heartbreaking kisses before Michael slipped out the door and was forced to lock it again, leaving Alex alone inside for his father to come back for later.

As he started to slip away, Michael stopped by the window and saw Alex watching him. With one last smile, Michael traced a small heart in the dirt of the window. Alex smiled at the sight before Michael brushed it away then he disappeared from sight.

Both had tears in their eyes as neither of them knew when they’d ever get the chance to be together again.


End file.
